“Married to Death” further extends the podcast footprint of acclaimed true crime correspondent Erin Moriarty. Well-aligned with the focus of “My Life of Crime,” “Married to Death” was created as a mini-series for cases that required more of a deep dive that the one-to-two-part episodes typical in the “My Life of Crime” feed. Running the series in the “My Life of Crime” feed was an intentional choice to tap into the existing fanbase of listeners who love Erin. Also falling under the “48 Hours” franchise, that podcast feed could further be used to help launch the six-part “Married to Death” mini-series.
While there was risk involved with breaking the format that listeners of “My Life of Crime” were used to – stories told in one-to-two part episodes – “Married to Death” was produced in a manner that would make the mini-series feel akin to the other earlier episodes in the feed, with a twist. Breaking down the story into six parts gave Erin the space necessary to properly dig into the intricacies of the final trial of Raynella Leath, a former nurse who has spent decades battling suspicions about her past after two of her husbands died under unusual circumstances. As with all of the shows she is involved with, Erin’s credibility, clarity, and access to key people who were involved in the cases allows her to tell these captivating and dizzying stories unlike anyone else.
As the most successful season in the “My Life of Crime” feed, “Married to Death” was proof that the feed could be repurposed for deeper dives into murder cases, and that there was an appetite from listeners for longer serialized stories and not just standalone episodes. The first season of “Married to Death” was honored with a 2023 DotComm Awards (Gold win in the True Crime category) and the average consumption rate for the series is an impressive 102 percent.
